Low-Power Processor Display Co-Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high power consumption of application processors and dedicated graphics engines in computing devices shortens battery life and restricts display usage, as these components remain active to continuously render visual content.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a low-power processor to handle updates of visual content stored in a display's frame buffer, allowing the full-power processor to remain in a low-power state, thereby reducing overall power consumption and extending device runtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the full-power processor continuously renders visual content to maintain display updates, then the display presentation quality is maintained, but the power consumption increases and battery life shortens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the processor functions by separating full-power processing (for initial frame rendering) and low-power processing (for subsequent frame updates). The full-power processor renders complete frames at full resolution, while the low-power processor handles incremental updates for subsequent frames, allowing the system to maintain display quality while significantly reducing power consumption during steady-state operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic processor selection based on the type of visual content being displayed. For static or slowly changing content, the low-power processor is used for updates. For dynamic content requiring full rendering, the full-power processor is activated. This dynamic switching optimizes the balance between display quality and power consumption based on real-time requirements.
2Reliability
If the full-power processor remains active to render visual content, then the visual content rendering quality is maintained, but the device runtime is shortened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the rendering workload by having the full-power processor render complete frames at full resolution only when necessary, while the low-power processor handles subsequent frame updates. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high rendering quality for critical frames while extending device runtime through efficient low-power operation for routine updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic full-frame rendering by the full-power processor followed by incremental updates from the low-power processor. This periodic action pattern ensures that visual quality is maintained at regular intervals while power consumption is minimized between these intervals, thereby extending overall device runtime.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the full-power processor is used for all display data generation, then the display functionality is fully maintained, but the display usage is restricted when extended run-times are desired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments display data generation between two processors with different power characteristics. The full-power processor handles complex rendering tasks and high-quality output, while the low-power processor handles simpler update tasks. This segmentation enables the system to adapt display functionality to power availability, supporting extended runtime scenarios while maintaining full display capabilities when power is abundant.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic allocation of display rendering tasks based on power state and content requirements. The system can switch between full-power processor operation for high-quality display output and low-power processor operation for extended runtime scenarios. This dynamic adaptability allows the display functionality to be optimized for either quality or duration based on real-time system state.
Data Source
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AI summary
In embodiments of display co-processing, a computing device includes a display, a full-power processor (302), and a low-power processor (304) that can alter visual content presented by the display (324) without utilizing the full-power processor. The low-power processor can, responsive to a request from the full-power processor, generate additional display data to update display data stored in a frame-buffer (328) of the display. The low-power processor can then transmit the additional display data to the frame-buffer effective to alter at least a portion of the visual content presented by the display. In some embodiments, the additional display data is transmitted via a protocol converter (354) that forwards the display data to the display using a display-specific communication protocol.